


To Rock the Cradle

by SolarEclipser



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Cute, Family Bonding, Fluff, ManDadlorian, Shopping, Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:15:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23584456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarEclipser/pseuds/SolarEclipser
Summary: The kid stared up at Din and made another whimper before the tears formed. Then there was a sniffle and claws dug in and there were gulping breaths. Din felt dread fill him. “No,” he said again. “No tears. Don’t-”Another pull at him.Want it.“Fine,” Din huffed. “Fine. Which one?”---Din shops for the kid, with a few distractions.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 287





	To Rock the Cradle

**Author's Note:**

> A cute fluff between Dad and Baby.
> 
> My [tumblr](https://solarr-eclipse.tumblr.com/)

The bazaar was well populated but not overcrowded. Din walked through with slow steps, looking around, scanning each merchant’s stand and their displays. It wasn’t the biggest of shopping places but there was the mouth watering smell of cooking food and chatter between vendors and customers. There were tables of crafts and jewelry and clothes, some homemade and others appearing to be superior quality.

On his hip, beneath his cape, the child sat quiet. He looked around with big eyes, peering around the edge of the cape to see all the new things. They were in a brand new place with  _ so _ many sights and smells that he wanted to explore, but his father held him tight with one hand and he didn’t want to get lost.

Din walked past the jewelry and clothing. Vendors called out lines about their wares and creatures squawked as they flew overhead. He could feel the child squirm about on his hip, restless before calming and eventually fidgeting again. They’d been stuffed up on the Razor Crest for weeks and the fresh air was good, but a crowded town like this was not the place to let him wander. He gave the child a gentle rub from his thumb before the boy seemed to get comfortable again.

_ He needs a bed. _

That thought had come a few days ago. Though a small storage locker had become a temporary space for the baby and his things, it wasn’t built for comfort. Instead, he had thoughts of Sorgan. They’d been lent a crib. The child had slept better in an old wooden crib than the spare box Din had tried to use, and Kuiil’s handiwork had been lost on Nevarro. So he’d invest in a small crib or at least get the materials to build one himself. It didn’t seem so complicated.

That was his only goal. Buy a proper bed for the kid.

But then the baby leaned forward, clearly sniffing the air, and the smell of cooking meat was permeating the air. He swallowed back saliva and his stomach growled.  _ Unnecessary,  _ he thought to himself. No need to buy food when they had things to eat on the ship.

But then the kid scratched at his side, staring up at him, half-hidden beneath the cape. Once Din looked down, he let out a soft growling noise, almost akin to a Wookiee. He squirmed about some more, patting against Din’s side. He’d been making more and more of those vocalizations, though Din could not figure out if it was a language, even when he managed to get the sound on record to analyze. It didn’t match anything.

But this felt obvious when the kid sniffed the air again. He wanted the meat.

_ Don’t give in,  _ he thought.  _ He’ll beg for everything. _

But then he was given another scratch and another little growl and his own stomach made the same demand. He found himself following the smell to a small grilling vendor, almost hidden near the back but for the scent, and like most people the cook balked at the sight of Din but was happy to take some money.

The food was wrapped up tight to keep hot and fresh. The kid immediately reached for it, licking his lips. Din held it on his other side and gave the kid a light jostle. “No,” he said. “Later.”

The child pouted at him. Din moved on.

The smell of food was constant now, so close, and the kid would not sit still as he continued to reach. But Din paid no attention, instead looking around one way and then another as he searched for any vendor that could be selling baby things. There were a few dolls on display on a cart while there were toy fishing poles or starships. A few were x-wings, painted with the rebel sigil.

The kid, unfortunately, spotted them.

He let out a louder, shrieking growl and pointed towards the starships. Din looked again, then towards the toys. “No,” he said. “We’re not here for toys.”

But the kid just whined and patted against him. He made another growl and squirmed around, blowing raspberries. 

_ Want. _

Din paused at the thought.

_ Want it. _

He stared at the kid for a moment. Then he let out a sigh and walked over.  _ By choice.  _ Or he told himself so. He dropped a few credits on the counter and was handed the starship. The kid reached with grabby hands and then disappeared back beneath the cloak with the ship in his grasp. It reminded Din of Cara.

He moved on again.

There were no cribs or cradles to be seen but there were a few more toy vendors scattered around, some stuffed or knitted. “No,” Din said firmly when the kid leaned out to eye them. “No more. You have your ship.”

The kid only cooed at him with innocence.

“Glad you understand.”

He took another step, but the kid shrieked. It was a shrill noise that drew attention, a few others looking over, and Din froze. “Quiet,” he said sternly, looking down at the child. He gave him another light jostle. “Shh.”

The kid stared up at Din and made another whimper before the tears formed. Then there was a sniffle and claws dug in and there were gulping breaths. Din felt dread fill him. “No,” he said again. “No tears. Don’t-”

Another pull at him.  _ Want it. _

“Fine,” Din huffed. “Fine. Which one?”

They stepped up to the stall and the kid held his hands out. A tauntaun made of white felt began to rise into the air. Din threw a hand out and grabbed it, then took a deep breath. He handed it to the kid, who held both the tauntaun and the x-wing to his chest, and fished out more credits.

“You’re going to bleed me dry, womp rat,” he muttered. He gave the kid a look, then pulled the cape, blocking the kid’s view. He began to walk again, with a new determination to make no more stops.

But from the noises beneath the cape, he figured the kid was more concerned with playing than seeking more toys.

After passing several rows of furniture vendors, a particular piece caught his eye and he did a double-take before stopping. He walked over and looked down at a small durasteel cradle. It looked sturdy with no sharp edges, everything smoothed. He could make the bedding itself with ease. The frame was bigger than he’d want but the bars lifted down and could be raised higher.

“Got a little one?”

Din looked at the seller, who’d stepped away from someone else. “Yes,” he said. The kid had gone quiet beneath the cape.

The seller gave him a once over. “I’d recommend something bigger for a human baby,” he said. “You’ll want ample room for growth.”

“They’re not human,” Din says. He adjusted the kid to keep him from slipping, then looked down at the cradle. “It’s big enough.”

The man tilted his head to the side, then simply shrugged. “Your call, sir,” he said.

Din nodded.

Din should’ve known he wasn’t going to escape the bazaar without another toy demanded, but the toy that looked something like an Ewok was less expensive than the others. Finally, they were back on the Razor Crest, and the child was sleepy in his arms. The meat was taken out and re-heated before splitting it between them. The boy perked up at the scent and though it wasn’t completely filling, it was tasty and Din was satisfied.

Then, he got the cradle up into the space above, though it took maneuvering for it to fit. The kid watched from below. Then there was a lonely call and Din climbed back down to fetch him.

The cradle, though it had seemed big, fit perfectly in the small bedroom space. His cot was against the wall and the kid sat on it with his new toys as Din slid the cradle between it and the other wall. It had room to rock while Din could easily reach over from the cot to rock it.

The kid stared with big eyes, then crawled to the edge of the cot and reached towards it.

“Not yet,” Din said, picking him up and placing him back in the center of the cot. “Just wait.”

The kid watched.

Din disappeared back into the belly of the ship, gathering the last few items needed. Arms full, he was careful in climbing back up and then returned to the bedroom. He dumped the blankets, padding, spare pillow, cords and tool on the floor, then grabbed the padding. He looked at the kid, who stared with big eyes as he mouthed on his x-wing.

“You are an  _ effort,”  _ he said. The kid smiled around the toy.

He laid down the soft padding he usually reserved for muffling machinery, making a thick semi-mattress. Then he laid down spare blankets and placed the spare pillow on one end. It wasn’t much, he thought, but the blankets hid the makeshift-ness of it. He looked at the kid, then scooped him up and placed him down on it.

“How’s that?” he asked, before giving it a small rock.

The kid gripped the rail, then broke into a smile and tried to rock it more. Din smiled to himself, then grabbed the other toys and dumped them in before giving another rock. As the kid sat and began to play, he grabbed the cords off the floor.

He knelt down beside the cradle and looped a cord around the bars, then grabbed the tool and magnetized the ends to the wall, leaving enough slack. He gave them a tug and it didn’t give. He did it a second time on another side, attaching to the second wall, and he gave another test rock. The kid looked up and giggled, waving his ship around while he gripped the tauntuan in his other hand. It swayed just fine.

It would hold fine, he was sure. He’d make sure the kid was strapped into his cockpit seat if he had to do maneuvers. But at least he had a proper bed.

That night, the kid had grown tired of his new toys. As they shot through space, the baby was seated in the cockpit and had long since grown quiet, occasionally cooing like a reminder that he was there and awake. Din glanced back when he did. The kid would stare at him and coo again, looking sleepier each time.

Eventually, the kid was out, and Din reached over to give him a gentle shake. The kid started, his eyes blinking sleepily, before he looked up at Din.

Din put the ship on autopilot, then stood and picked him up. He made no attempt to resist, limp in Din’s arms as his eyes fell shut again. Din walked out of the cockpit and into the bedroom, switching on the lights and dimming them before he went to the cradle, and was careful in laying him down. The kid made a coo but made no fuss as Din laid a blanket over him.

“Night,” he said quietly. He tucked the blanket in. He set a hand on the child’s back for a moment before he turned away.

He didn’t make it through the door before soft whimpers called him back. He glanced back at the kid, who had squirmed against the blanket to look at him. He made a tiny growl, eyes tired but holding open. Din stood in place for a moment.

He gave a look towards the cockpit. They were flying steady. Then he turned and walked back over, settling down on the cot. The baby made a happy little hum and reached his hand towards Din. Din slipped his fingers through the bars to take it, his other hand coming to rock the cradle, and he gave it a gentle sway.

“I’m here,” he murmured. “Right here.”

The baby stared at him, but after a few seconds his eyes fell shut again.

Din kept moving the cradle, still holding on until the child’s hand loosened. He retracted his hand without waking. He watched as he rocked, a warmth in his chest, and smiled to himself.

_ Goodnight. _

**Author's Note:**

> My [tumblr](https://solarr-eclipse.tumblr.com/)


End file.
